Adjustable tuft cutting knife for axminster looms



July 3, 1945. IA. PALMER 2,379,740 ADJUSTABLE TUFT CUTTING KNIFE FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS l Filed April" 15, 1944 ,the other knife.

fthe blade.

Patented July 3, 1945 ADJUSTABLE TUFT CUTTING KNIFE FOR AXMINSTER LOOMS Albert Palmer, Worcesten Mass., assignor to Cromptonj& Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 15, 1944, Serial N0. 531,162

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the pile tuft cutter knives or blades for. Axminster looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide means by which independent adjustments can be made throughoutlthe length of thevknife to set the latter for proper cutting op erations. j

Axminsterlooms operate with front and back knives the purpose of which is to cut a row of tufts' fromlthe tube frame after the tufts have been incorporated into the fabric. One of the knives is behind the tufts and the other in front of them, and during the cutting operation the knives are moved relatively to each other in such a way that thepoint of cutting travels across the loomi In wide looms the knives areso'long that it is diflicult to mount them so that they will have proper shearing relationship throughout their length. It is an important object of my present invention to provide means affording multiple adjustments for at leastone of the knives so thatits shape can be alteredto conform to the adjustment applied to the front knife, but I do not wish thus to be limited inthe practice of my invention.

The front knife is `mounted on a heavy casting or bar which extendsacross the loom over the fabric and is moved backwardly and then forwardly during each cutting, operation. It has tributed uniformly throughout the length of the knife and does not provide for adjustment of the blade at particular points along itslength. It is I another object of my present invention to pro- 140 vide a series of independently movable adjusting units distributed along the length of the bar and capable of causing local deformations of These units may include wedges interposed between the blade and its supporting bar and controlled so that they can be moved transversely of the blade to locate thicker or thinner parts thereof in contact with the blade; 'Ihe blade is held against the adjusting units by screws or the like which cooperate with the units to control the shape of the blade. l l

With these and other objects in View which will As set forth hereinafter I show` `In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

,'Fig.` 1 is an end elevation of` aportion of an j Axminster loom with parts broken away to show adjustment in vertical section,

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of a portion and showing partof the front `knife and its bar,

j Fig. 4 is a bottom plan looking in the direction of 'arrow 4, Fig. 1, and showing the adjusting `units in different positions,` s Figi isa detailed side elevation of one of the adjusting screws for wedge members, and

appear as the description proceeds, my invention l -resides in the combination and arrangement, of I parts hereinafter described and set forth,

Fig.6 is a detail vertical sectionthrough part of one of the wedge members and its associated clamp plate and adjusting screw.,`

` Referring to Fig. 1, I have shown the'frame I0 of an Axminster loom having `a breast beam from the rear edge of which extends anose board I2. A bracket I5 has the rear end thereof secured as at I6 to an upright I1 forming part of the loom frame I0, and has its forward end secured as at I8 to the breast beam or some other stationary part ofthe loom frame. It is to be ,understood that there are two of these brackets l5 one at each end of the loom, showonly one of them. l I f A guideway `2|] is mounted on the rear end of `bracket I5 and affords sliding support for the rear knife bar 2| to the lower forward edge of which is secured the rearcutter blade 422. Drivbut in Fig. 1 I

ing mechanism not shownoperates in usual manner to move the bar 2| forwardly from its normal p the rear bladew22.

The knife or blade 3U extends across the loom `and should `be held` in close shearing engagement withthe rear blade throughout the cutting l the front knife and its barand my `improved of Fig. `1 showingone of the adjusting wedge members and operation in order to insure proper severing of the tuft yarns. My present invention relates more particularly to means for mounting knife accomplished. I

In carrying my invention into elect I provide a rib 35 which extends downwardly from and along the length of front bar 25. Tapped in rib 35 are a number of screws 36 held in longitudinally adjusted position on the rib by check nuts 31. Each screw is Dart of an adjusting unit a number of which are arranged along the length of bar 25, and since all these units are alike only one of them will be described in detail. f.

A wedge member 40 tapered in the direction of 2,379,740 A or blade 30 on bar 25 so that this result may be Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein i disclosed, but what I claim is:

l. In .tuft cutting mechanism for an Axminster loom, a knife bar extending across the loom, a `cutter blade extending along said bar, a plurality of wedge shaped members located between said blade and said bar and tapered in a direction transversely of said blade, adjustable screws its length and transversely ofblade 30 has a relatively thick forward end 4l and a thin rear end 42. A circumferential groove 43 is cut in screw 36 near the rear end thereof and forms a head 44 which -ts into a clear hole 45 in a laterally extending wall46 projecting downwardly from ythe wedge. A clamping plate 41 held to wall k46 by screws 48 has a slot 49 therein extending upwardly and open at its top. The slot 4,9 aligns with the hole 45 but is of less width than the diameter of the ho1e.` `The neck' 50 formed by groove 43 joins head44 to thev screw 36 and ts into slot 49 so thatforward movement of the screws causes head 44 to move plate 46 and therefore the wedge 40 forwardly When the screw moves rearwardly that part 4of it in front of groove 43 pushes the plate and wedge backwardly. A slot l in wedge 4D extends in the direction of the length of the .A

wedge and is open at its rear end, and receives one of the screws 52 by which the blade 30 is secured to the bar 25.

In the practice of my invention the adjusting units, blade and bar 25 will be assembled sub- .i

threaded into a portion of said bar and extending -transversely of said blade, one screw for each member, means causing each screw and the asso- .ciated wedge to move together transversely of said blade `when the screw is turned in either distantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 and the several screws 36 adjusted either backwardly or vforwardly to provide proper engagement between each part of the cutting edge 53 of blade 30 and the opposite part of blade 22. This adjustment is made by turning screws 36in the proper direction while the screws 52V are loose enough to permit movement of the wedges, after which the check nuts 31 and screws 52 are tightened.

If, for instance, a given partof blade 30 should be too low for proper. cutting conditions the adfr jacent wedge 40 will be moved forwardly, as at a, Fig. 4, so that a narrower part thereof will engage the blade 30. If, onl the other hand, it is found that a givenpart of blade 3l] is too high th'eadjacent wedge 40 will be moved rearwardly as at b, Fig. '4, to locate a thicker part .of the wedge in engagement withblade 30 and eiect a slight lowering of that part of the blade. The

wedges have parallel opposite sides 54 and when any wedge is moved transversely of the knife it will be guided by the sides of the adjacent wedges and be kept straight. i

From the foregoing it will be seen .that I have i provided a simpley means by which multiple adjustments can be made along the length of an Axminster loom tuft cutting knife to make it conform to any slight but unobjectionable irregularities which may exist in the companion knife. More specifically, it will be seen that the adjustment is effected by means of a plurality of adjusting units arranged along the bar and blade f and each comprising a wedge 40, clamp plate 41 vand adjusting screw 36 all movable transversely of the blade 30. The screws 52 serve to hold the blade against the wedges and cooperate with the latter to produce slight local deformations of the blade 3U. Each screw 52 passes through the slot 5I of the corresponding Wedge and clamps the latter against the bar 25.

rection relatively to said bar, and means holding the blade against said Wedges and holding the latter against said bar.

2. In tuft cutting mechanism for an Axminster loom, a knife bar extending across the loom, a cutterblade `extending along said bar, a plurality of adjusting units for the blade arranged along said bar, each unit including a member tapered transversely of said blade and a screw 'operatively connected to said member and screw threadedinto rsaid bar for movement toward and fromsaid blade to move said member to diiierent transverse positions relatively to said blade, and meansl holding said blade tightly against said units and holding the latter against said bar.

3. In tuft cutting mechanism for `anAxminster loom havinga bar and a cutter blade extending therealong,l a plurality of blade adjusting units arranged along said bar, each unit including a member between said bar andV blade tapered transversely of the latter and means cooperating with said bar to move said member transversely of said blade,.and means to clamp said blade against said'members and clamp the latter to said bar. l 4. In tuft cutting mechanismrfor an Axminst'er loom having a bar `and a cutter blade extending therealong, a plurality `of blade adjusting units arranged along said bar, each unit including a member between said bar and blade tapered transversely of the latter and means cooperating withlsaid bar to move said member transversely of 1 said blade, and means passing through said members to clamp said blade against said membersand clamp the latter to said bar.

5.l In tuit cutting mechanism for an Axminster-v loom having a'bar and a cutter .blade extending therealong, ak plurality of blade adjusting units arranged along said bar, each unit including `a member between said bar and blade engaging and positioned by an adjacent member and taperedtransversely of the blade and means cooperating with said bar-.t0 move said member transversely of said blade, and means 'to Vclamp said blade against 'said' members and clamp the latter to said bar.

6. In tuft cutting mechanism for an Axminster loom having a vbar and a cutter blade extending therealong, a plurality of blade adjusting unitsl VIplurality a transversely of the blade and said means along tuft cutting knife blade extending therealong, a plurality of blade adjusting units supportedgby and operatively connected to the bar, each unit having a part tapered transversely of the blade and located between and engaging the blade and bar and movable in directions toward and from `thecutting edge of the blade to different positions loom having a barand a cutter blade extending therealong, a plurality of blade adjusting units arranged along said bar, each unit including a` member between said bar and blade tapered transversely ofthe latter and engaging and i guided by adjacent members when moving transrelatively to the bar to locate the portion thereof engaged by the blade at different distances from the bar, and means holding the blade against l said units.

8. In tuft cutting mechanism for an Axminster loom having a tuft cutting knife blade which has a given position and form during a tuft cutting operation, a second tuft cutting knife blade to cooperate with. the rst blade, asupporting bar along which said second blade extends, and a [olf means arranged each tapered and operatively connected to said bar and engaging said second blade and movable relatively a to said bar and the second blade in directions toward and from the cutting edge of the blade `to effect local independent adjustments of the latter relatively to` said bar at points along the length of the latter to establish correct cutting relations,

between said blades.

9. In tuft cutting mechanism for an Axminster loom, a knife bar extending across the loom, a cutter blade extending along said bar, a plurality of adjusting units for the blade arranged along said bar, each unitincluding a member taperedY transversely of said blade and formed with parallel sides engaging sides of adjacent tapered members, each unit including a screw operatively connected to `said member `and screwthreaded` into said bar for movement toward and from said blade to move said member to different transverse positions relatively to said blade, and means holding said blade tightly against `said units and holding the latteragainst said bar,

l l0. In tuft cutting mechanism for an AXminster loom having a bar and a cutter blade extending therealong, a'plurality of blade adjusting units arranged alongv said bar, each unit including a l member between said'bar and blade havingparallel sides engaging sides of adjacent members and tapered transversely of the latter and means cooperating with said bar to move said member transversely of said blade, and means to clamp said blade against said members and clamp the latter to said bar;

11. In tuft cutting mechanism for an Axminster versely of the blade, each unit including means cooperating with said bar to move saidmember transversely of said blade, and means `to clamp said blade against said members and clampthe latter to said bar.

12,. An adjusting una flor the tuff, cutting knife blade and knife bar of an Axminster loom, saidunit comprising a wedge tapered inthe directionof the lengththereof, a screwextending from the `wedge in the direction of the length of the latter `and having the end thereof adjacent to the wedge formed with a peripheral groove,

and means rigid with the wedge entering said groove` and effective to` cause said wedge and screw` to move together.

, 13. An adjusting unit for the tuft cutting knife blade and knife bar of an Axminster loom,

`said unit .comprising a wedge tapered in the direction of the length thereof, a wall extending laterally from said wedge, an adjusting screw for said unit having av peripheral groove in the end thereof adjacent to said Wall, and means secured to said wall and entering said groove in such manner asto require the Wedge, wall and screw to move together, a

14. An adjusting unit for the tuft cutting ,knife blade and knife bar of an Axminster loom,

`said unit `comprising a wedge tapered in the dia rection of the4 length thereof, a clamp secured` a to said wedge and having a slot therein, and a l screw extending in the ydirection of the length of the wedge and having one end thereof extending on both sides of said clamp and provided with a reduced part located in said slot.

15. An adjusting unit for the tuft cutting knife blade and knife bar ofan Axminster loom, said unit comprising a wedge member provided with a lateral wall havinga circular opening therein, a clamp plate secured to said wall and having a slot therein aligned with said opening but of less widththan the diameter of said opening,

and a screw having a circumferential groove therein forming a head on one end of the screw located. in said opening and forming a neck located in said slot. l

ALBERT PALMER. 

